london



March 3, 1931.

Filed Jan. 14, 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet l March 3, 1931. V F, LANGDQN 1,794,716

PRINTING AND REGISTERING MACHINE Filed Jan. 14, 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 iii March 3, 1931. LANGDON 1,794,716

PRINTING AND REGISTERING I IACHINE Filed .Jan. 14, 192 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Y m I I I a 3, 1931. LANGDQN PRINTING AND REGISTERING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 14, 1926 4 ll-llllll'illllllll March 3, 1931. F. E. LANGDON PRINTING AND REGISTERING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 14, 1926 ams wwi. l m

- Patented Mar. 3, 1931 I- ED STATE mmnx EDWARD transport; onnennon, ENGLAND, ssIGNoR T or Lonnon, ENGLAND, A ooMr NY OFFICE linorosr LIMITED,

7 rnmmme Ann REGISTERING-V MACHINE J Application filed January 14; 1926, Serial No.

This invention relates to machines intended more particularly for printing stamps and. cancellation or other required markings 011- letters and like. articles of mail matterand for registering thetotal number or value of stamps printed and has for its objecttoprovid'e an improved construction and arrange inentof such machines which is characterized by simplicity in design andicompactness in 1b sizewhilst providing adequate safeguards against fraud either'by obtaining unregistered impressions or by tampering with the motoring or registering device.

Acc'ording to the invention a machine is matter which comprises a rotary printing'element over which an article to be printed is passed, said printing element operating in conjunction with inking mechanism and a registering device of which-are removable for resettingand like purposes as a unit from .a supporting framework. 7

Reference will now "be made to the'accompanying drawings which illustrate-by way invention and'in which I Figure 1 is a longitudinal section the line A1-rofFigure 4:

taken on Figure 2 is a longitudinal secti at the machine from the opposite side to'Fi gure 1 and taken-on the line 3- 13 of Figure 4 Figu'i-efi is a longitudinal section takenon the'lin'es C 'c'of Figure 4, Figure 4 is an inverted plan of the machine shown in Figures 1 3,. p

Figure5' is an elevation of drum, i Figure 6 is .a longitudina framework ofthe machine; [Figure .7' is a cross secti work shown in Figure 6., a

Figure 8 is ade tail elevation partly in section, showing the positions which the parts assume when the lever 2 9 is'ro ckedr I Figure 9 is a simi'lar view on asomew'hat enlarged scale through the printing drum showing thegconstructio'n and mounting of the plunger 33', and I i V 1 p FigurelO'is a detail elevation, on anenlargedi scale, showin'g'the engagement of the 1 section of, the

' on of the frameprovided' for stamping and cancelling mail of example a'construct-i-on according tofthe on looking" moment" of printing. The.- pressure" islmainr around a 1'o'd'-16;tl-1e inlne'r endoffwhich is they printing.

' machine. The roller 12 isipiovidedwith pins 81,273;. and in Great Britain Januaiy 29,1925;

flange of the plunger 33 with'later at. theends of the grooves 34. In. the construction illustrated printing, in-l'ring and registering devices are mounted in a plate l adaptedwhen operativel'y positioned to-rest in a supporting-framework-2 which carries hand and automatic operating means andis more fully described hereinafter. r

. Mounted in brackets 3 fixedbelow the plate I is amain' driving shaft 4-which earries'a printing drum 5 having therein asta-mp inipressing die 6 and a car rcel-lationand dating die 7 and iffd'esired a thirddie-S for the :purpose. of printin-gmatte-rinthe nature ofadvertisements orpublic notices. The drum 5 is fast on the shaft l' 'w' h-ichv also carrie'sthe; .m'ovabl-emember 9' of a ratchet clutchdevice co-operating' through the medium o-fa series "of floating paWlsIOuvith a fixed-clutch mein ber' 11 carriedby one of the brackets 3,the

purpose of this clutchibeingto prevent back- Ward rotation of the'druni'fi; The disposition of the printing drum 5 issuch-thatartie c'les to be printed are fedacross the'uppe rsurface of theplate 1*f'ac'e downwards being 3 maintained'incontact-with the printing dies" 6, '7' and .8 the surfaces of which become level with the upper surface of the plate lat the al recesses tained on articles being printed by a. roller 12 carried by an arm 13pivotal1y mountedgiir a-bracke-t 1 L on plate 1 and having a doWn- \vardly extending lug 15 perforated to pass supported in a boss l7- on 0ne of the brackets 3; A spring 18 is interposedb etween the boss I? and the lug 15*andby urging the arm 13. v in a counterclocl'nvise direction around-its pivot in. the bracket '14 maintains the roller in contact with an article being printed, the

spring 18 allowing theroller torise if an a-rtide of abnormal thickness-is; fed into the 19 extending from; one of] its ends Whichare' engaged by the teeth of a 'spur wheel QO-Kfast' 0a the 's'ha ft 4, theroller 12 'being thusro tat-ed fwith the printingdruni to facilitate feeding ofarticles through the machine] and.

hf ef heel" 20 are of sufllc'ient length to maintain engagement with the roller should the latter be caused to rise as above described.

The projection of the printing dies above the surface of the drum also ensures that irrespective of the thickness of an article being printed the stamp impression will always appear at a uniform distance from the end of an article.

Mounted on the spindle '21 of the pressure roller 12 is a lever 22 havingan operating -handle at one end and a roller 24 at the other end bearing on the plate 1, the purpose of this lever being to enable the roller 12 to be raised by hand should an abnormally thick article cause the machine to be stopped.

Each rotation of the printing drum 5 is registered on a counting device 25 of any suit-' able type mounted in the plate 1 so that the total registered is always visible to the operator. The movements of the printing drum are communicated to the device 25 by means of a connecting rod 26 terminating at one end in a strap 27 surrounding an eccentric disc 28 fastontheshaft 4, the opposite end of the rod 26 being connected to a reciprocable member of the registering device 25. The motor may be arranged so that it can be set to a prepaid total by a-postal authority and provided with means so that when the motor has reached the zero position it automatically locks the printing drum shaft against furtherinovement. l

The cancellation and dating die 7 of the printing drum 5 is mounted soias to be slidable radially. to an inner inoperative position when it is desired to print more than one stamp on a single article of mail matter. To move the die 7 inwardly a lever 29 is provided pivoted in the plate 1 at 30 and extending downwardly at one side of the drum 5 the lower end of this lever having a. boss 31 formed thereon, the inner face 32 of which inclined towards the drum. When the lever "29 is rocked, the boss 31 engages a springloaded plunger 33 mounted to slide laterally in the side of the drum and provided at its in er end with a flange onenlargement.which engages-in either of two lateral recesses at the end of a groove 34 in the stem 35 of the die 7, this stem being slidable in a socket 36 formed inthe drum 5, its .,inward movement being opposed by a spring 3'7 and its movement inreither directiou being limited by a pin 38 fixed to the stem 35 and projecting through a slot 39 in the drum 5. The plunger 33 is moved against the action of its spring by the boss 31 so that the flange or extension leaves the recess atone end of the groove 34 and immediately thereafter the end of the lever engages the pro j ectin g end of the pin 38- and moves the stem- 35 inwardly against the action of thespring 3' when the stem reaches its extreme inward position the flange or extension on the plungor 33 snaps into the recess at the other end of the groove 34 (the boss 31 having in the V meantime cleared the plunger and locks the stem 35 in the inward position. The die 7 remains retracted until the plunger 33 is again actuated by moving the lever 29 or alternatively until the end of the. plunger strikes a fixed-ramp which may be mounted on the casingv for the purpose of releasing the stem'85 automatically if the stamp impression has been made. A mechanism of similar constru'ction may be provided to render the advertisement die (if such be employed) inoperative when stamp impressions are to be repeated. I

To indicate when stamp impressions have been obtained fraudulently there is formed at the side of the stamp die' 6 a block 8a hearing the word Fraud or some other indication having a similar effect. This block is not inked during the normal operation of the machine and consequently produces no impression but must necessarily be rendered.

operat-ive by coloring means such as carbon papers inserted from the exterior of the machine so that fraudulently obtained impressions are clearly identified. The die 6 also bears the worc Fraudl. At one end the inking mechanism is lifted by a projection on the cam 44 as it passes this part ofthe die 6 so that the word Fraud. on the die 6 is not inkedduring normal operation of the machine.

revolution of the drum 5 by mechanism which is pivotally mounted at 40 beneath the plate 1 Fig. this inking mechanism comprising a pair of side frame members 41 one of which The printing dies are inked during each.

is extendedto form an arm 42 carrying a roller 43 engaging a cam. 44 mounted on the shaft 4 and rotated with the printing drum 5. Between the framememhers '41 is mounted an ink trough 45 the baseof which is formed by theysurfaceof a roller 46 which operates to remove inkfrom 'the.tr0ugh"45 and feed it to a second roller 47 which applies ink to the chest, 7 and .8 when the cam 44 permits a spring 48 "to draw the inking de vice towards the printing drum, the shape of the saidcam being suchthat inkis applied only to those portions of the drum surface in which dies are mounted.

In one side of the supporting framework 2 is disposed an operating handle 49 mounted on a spindle 5O the inner endof which is provided with fiattenedportions 51 adapted to engage a similarly shaped recess in the end of the shaft 4. .The spindle 50 is longitudi nally slidable in its bearings being capable of being secured in an operative or an inoperative position by means of a set screwl'52 adapted to engage in either of twoannular grooves 53 formed in the spindle, The oper ating handle 49 isreleased for movement by depresslng a tllp lever 54 mounted on a short spindle extending through the framework 2 and having at its inner end a cam 55'adapted to bear against a flange 56 on a slidable stud 57 the outer end of which is caused normally 'to engage the handle 49 under the influence of a spring (not shown). When the trip lever 54 is depressed the cam 55, WithdraWs the stud 57 thus freeing the handle 49 for operation. M a

To enable the machine to be driven electrically when desired the'end of the shaft 4 is adapted to be coupled to mechanism now to be described. Mounted within the framework 2 is an electric motor 58 the spindle 59 of which carries a worm 6O meshing with. a worm wheel 61, the said worm wheel having on its sides clutch surfaces adapted to engage frictionally with clutch members 63 and 64 mounted independently of the worm' wheel being carried by a spindle 75 on which the worm wheel is freely mounted; The clutch member '63 urged into operative position by a spring65. This clutch member 63 has a quick pitch screw threaded connection with sleeve 66. Pivotally mounted so as to project abovethe framework 2 is a lever 67 normally urged into the'position shown in. Fig. 6 by a spring 68 fixed to the framework at one end and at the other endto a pivoted bell crank lever 69 whose other end is pivoted to the lever 67. The lever 67 is connected by a series of pivoted links 70, 71 and 72 with a roller 7 3 adapted normally to engage a stop 74 carried by the clutch member idly as the roller 73' engages the stop 74.

63. Normally the worm wheel 61 rotates v and by holding the clutch member 63. against rotation moves it away from the worm wheel owing to the screw threaded connection with the sleeve 66. When a letter or the like is fed against the lever 67 it is moved slightly -in a clockwise-direction (Fig. 6) sufficiently to-move the roller. 7 3 from engagement with the stop 74 thus freeingthe clutch member 63 to rotate and allowing the spring 68 to J I force it into engagement with theworm wheel 61 to rotate spindle 75 and the printing drum,

cover 76'having a handle 77 tofacilitate reto the shaft of whichthe spindle is coupled.

' Theoperation of the electric motor 58 is preferably controlled by a treadle actuated switch.

In practice a unit such as that illustrated is providedfor each value in which it is desired to impress stamps, any one of such units being capable of replacing another in the framework 2 and of being driven by the hand or power operated means carried therein. 7

The printing mechanism is enclosed by a moval and transportand this cover may carry a window adapted to be sealed in position and behind which appears an indication of the amount to which the user of the mach ne theirs'urfacearea. 7

The (ma chine may be locked against, use; by

Y 5 toprevent fun" hasbeerrcreditede a postal authority and; comparisonof'this amount with the amount indicated by the metering device25" Willshow at anytime howmueh the user is in credit vor otherwise." At one. side of the Cover a clearance space 84 (Fig.2): is formed betw en the louver-edge of the cove-r andth plat 1 to -allow articles; of mail matter to; pass through: the machine freely irrespective of insertion of a key in a; lock ;78, turning of the keyin the lock moving align-1; 7-9 to cause a stud 80 to engage av slot the printing drum herrota-ti-on thereof. 7, WI -hen. prnatm unit- 'lsmoved from the framework 2 a spring 81 (Fig. 4) is free to move one end of a member 82 outwards, such member being pushed inwards to compress the spring upon insertion of the unlt 1n the framework. When the spring 1s free to exber 82 inwards to move an arm 83 into engagement with the spur wheel'20 and thus prevent movement of the spur wheelfand printing drum.

I cla1m:

4 15A machine for stamping and cancelling I mail matter comprising a casing, a printing drum mounted in said casing, a pressure roller cooperating with said printlng drum,

a printing die arranged insaid printingv drum, a die, displaceable radially of said drum, a pin secured to said die, apivote'd" 1.00 roller carried by said pivoted lever and adaptg e lever mounted in said casingand a conical ed to act on said pin.

2. A machine for stamping and cancelling mail matter comprising a table plate having an opening therein, a casing mounted below said plate, a printing drum mounted rotatably in said casing opposite said opening, an

inking device cooperating with said printing drum, means for guiding ma1l matter over said plate, a pressure roller driven'by said a printing drum mounted above said plate and cooperating with said printing drum, a spring-pressed lever p voted to said table,

said pressure roller being carried by said, lever, and a'lever arm plvoted to said lever,

said lever arm having a handle and being provided with a roller contacting with said table.

3. A machine for stamping and canceling ma1l matter, comprislng a rotary printing element having cancellation and dating dies thereof froman operative to an inoperative position, means for moving said dies to an inoperative position when a stamp impres-, sion is to be repeate-d-onone article ofmail 12112 matter, means for feeding an article to be I printed over said printing element, a pressure I roller driven by said printing. element, means permittingsaid pressure roller to rise'andfall I automatically according to the thickness of.

, a rat mounted thereon for movement radially e by said printing drum, said pressure roller being mounted above said plate and cooper atmg with said printing drum.

In Witness whereof I afiiX my signature.

FRANK EDNARD LANGDON. 

